Not all vegetables need lots of sunshine. Mark Hoffman and his wife own a bed-and-breakfast guesthouse in rural Kempton, Illinois. They often serve their guests fresh products from the garden.
The Hoffmans have been growing food and flowers for twenty-five years. For almost ten of those years, Mr. Hoffman has been experimenting and working with shade (阴凉) plantings. He says, “The bottom line here is that most plants will produce more in full sun. But if you do not have full sun, there are other choices.”
For example, he grows tomatoes near oak trees. Oak trees can produce a lot of shade. But Mr. Hoffman says his tomato plants grow as long as they get five hours’ direct sunshine a day, especially morning sun. Not only does this go against the traditional advice that tomatoes need six, eight, even twelve hours’ full sun a day. It also shows how plants and tree roots can share nutrients and water.
Mr. Hoffman says plants with wider leaves seem to do better in shady environments. He also found that his potatoes did better partly in shade than in full sun.
Moving them out of the sun helped control an insect problem. Mr. Hoffman does not use pesticide (农药). Instead, he planted the potatoes in the shade, especially on the east side of the tree. The potatoes get morning sun, but they are shaded during the hottest part of the day. Some insects dislike shade, and the hottest part day is when they do the worst of their damage.
Time of day, sun intensity (强度), shadows from trees, walls and buildings all influence how much sunlight falls on plants. And people interested in shade planting should also remember something else. The term “shade” can describe different amounts of darkness. It can even mean different things in different parts of the world.How many hours of sunshine are enough to keep tomato plants growing in Hoffman’s garden?
| A．five hours a day | B．Six hours a day |
| C．Eight hours a day | D．Twelve hours a day |
From the passage we can know that ______ .
| A．plants with wider leaves produce more in full sun. |
| B．as a matter of fact, plants don’t need to grow in full sun. |
| C．the more sunshine plants get, the more they will produce |
| D．plants with wider leaves grow better in shadows |
All of the following can influence how much sunlight falls on plants EXCEPT ______.
| A．length of day time |
| B．brightness of the sun |
| C．changes of the season |
| D．shadows |
Which of the following can best describe Mr. Hoffman?
| A．Curious | B．Experienced | C．Easy-going | D．Funny |
We may read the passage on a website in the section of ______.
| A．environment | B．travelling | C．agriculture | D．lifestyle |
If humans were truly at home under the light of the moon and stars，we would go in darkness happily，the midnight world as visible to us as it is to the vast number of nocturnal(夜间活动的) species on this planet. Instead，we are diurnal creatures, with eyes adapted to living in the sun’s light. This is a basic evolutionary fact, even though most of us don’t think of ourselves as diurnal beings. Yet it’s the only way to explain what we’ve done to the night: We’ve engineered it to receive us by filling it with light.
The benefits of this kind of engineering come with consequences 一 called light pollution 一 whose effects scientists are only now beginning to study. Light pollution is largely the result of bad lighting design，which allows artificial light to shine outward and upward into the sky. III-designed lighting washes out the darkness of night and completely changes the light levels 一 and light rhythms — to which many forms of life, including, ourselves, have adapted. Wherever human light spills into the natural world, some aspect or life is affected .
In most cities the sky looks as though it has been emptied of stars, leaving behind a vacant haze(霾) that mirrors our fear of the dark. We’ve grown so used to this orange haze that the original glory of an unlit nigh, - dark enough for the planet Venus to throw shadow on Earth, is wholly beyond our experience, beyond memory almost.
We’ve lit up the night as if it were an unoccupied country, when nothing could be further form the truth. Among mammals alone, the number of nocturnal species is astonishing, Light is a powerful biological force, and on many species it acts as a magnet(磁铁). The effect is so powerful that scientists speak of songbirds and seabirds being “captured” by searchlights on land or by the light from gas flares on marine oil platforms. Migrating at night, birds tend to collide with brightly lit tall buildings.
Frogs living near brightly lit highways suffer nocturnal light levels that are as much as a million times righter than normal, throwing nearly every aspect of their behavior out of joint including most other creatures ,we do need darkness .Darkness is as essential to our biological welfare, to our internal clockwork, as light itself.
Living in a glare of our making,we have cut ourselves off from our evolutionary and cultural heritage—the light of the stars and the rhythms of day and night .In a very real sense light pollution causes us to lose sight of our true place in the universe, to forget the scale of our being, which is best measured against the dimensions of a deep night with the Milky Way—the edge of our galaxy arching overhead.
According to the passage, human being .
| A．prefer to live in the darkness |
| B．are used to living in the day light |
| C．were curious about the midnight world |
| D．had to stay at home with the light of the moon |
What does “it”(Paragraph 1) most probably refer to?
| A．The night. | B．The moon |
| C．The sky | D．The planet |
The writer mentions birds and frogs to .
| A．provide examples of animal protection |
| B．show how light pollution affects animals |
| C．compare the living habits of both species |
| D．explain why the number of certain species has declined |
It is implied in the last paragraph that .
| A．light pollution dose harm to the eyesight of animals |
| B．light pollution has destroyed some of the world heritages |
| C．human beings cannot go to the outer space |
| D．human beings should reflect on their position in the universe |
What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．The Magic light. |
| B．The Orange Haze. |
| C．The Disappearing Night. |
| D．The Rhythms of Nature. |
NEWS BRIEF
● "New labels to show calories
The US government ruled that all food establishments(场所) should put the calorie information of their foods on their menus. Within a year chain restaurants, like fast food KFC, will have to say clearly on their menus how many calories their fried chicken wings, fries, and other items contain. Amusement parks, movie theaters and supermarkets will also have to follow the rules. The move is designed to fight against the problem of obesity(肥胖) in the US.
● Antibiotics leading to world problem
The entire world is facing this problem; antibiotic resistance. And the resistance will lead to the deaths of 10 million people across the world by 2025, predicted a new report released by the UK government. Antibiotics are used to destroy or slow the growth of harmful bacteria in our bodies. But overuse and misuse of them can encourage bacteria to develop new ways of overcoming antibiotics, which makes it increasingly difficult for humans to fight diseases.
●___________________________________
Australia is the world's most expensive destination for international students, according to a study done by Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC). They have to spend an average of $ 42,000 ( about 258 ,000 yuan) a year to study at Australian universities. Singapore is not far behind, with an average yearly cost of $ 39,229, followed by the US at $ 36,564 and the UK at 35,045. However, Australia's education quality only ranks joint fourth with Canada, well below the US, the UK, and Germany. In addition, international students studying in Germany only have to pay about one-sixth the cost of studying in Australia.
● New Games sports may be added
The International Olympic Committee has canceled the 28-sportcap for future summer Olympics But each summer Games will still only be allowed 10, 500 athletes and 310 events. Countries that could host the games will discuss plans with the committee during a new invitation stage before bidding. They are also allowed to hold events outside their own countries and get financial support from the committee. No changes will be introduced for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The news brief covers ______________.
| A．medicine, disaster, finance, events |
| B．health, medicine, education, sports |
| C．service, health, education, events |
| D．business, medicine, economy, sports |
The underlined word "antibiotics" in Line 7 refers to ___________.
| A．serious diseases | B．varieties of resistance |
| C．harmful bacteria | D．medical drugs |
Which of the following fits in the blank best in the news brief?
| A．Australian study most expensive |
| B．The cost of studying overseas |
| C．International students in Australia |
| D．Australia's education quality |
Which of the following statements is best supported by the news brief?
| A．Some events may be held outside the host country in future summer Olympics |
| B．It is Australia's best education quality that will cause students to make a wise choice. |
| C．It is necessary for the UK government to try hard to encourage using lots of antibiotics. |
| D．Popcorn sold in cinemas in the world will soon have calorie information labels. |
One day, Soapy Smith and I visited a shelter for badly-treated women located in a deserted section of the city. No one smiled a greeting, and they appeared uninterested in Soapy. One little girl in particular moved like a wisp (纤弱的小东西) in the background. The staff informed me that she had been there for over a month and had not spoken the entire time. Her mother said she had talked at one time but not in recent memory. I didn't want to imagine what could have happened to rob this little girl of the natural curiosity and enthusiasm so natural to childhood.
Spreading a blanket on the floor, I sat down and put Soapy on the blanket. As the silent child circled past me, I told the group that Soapy would come to talk to them if they sat on his blanket. Several children did this, including the silent girl. She sat rigidly at the edge of the blanket, legs held stiffly out straight in front of her. She was staring hard at Soapy. It appeared that he kept making eye contact with her. She didn't reach out to him or encourage him in any way. Rather she sat tensely, just staring.
Finally Soapy came to a stop about two inches from her. He quietly reached out and laid his chin on her knee. I was astonished. While a common behavior for dogs, this is not a behavior exhibited by rabbits, especially not by this rabbit.
The child did not reach out to touch Soapy. Instead, she slowly leaned toward him. When her face was within inches of his, she carefully reached out and circled him with her arms. So softly that no one in the room could hear, she began to talk. Folded around the rabbit, she pillowed her head on his back and whispered to him. Soapy remained motionless.
I looked up and noticed that the shelter workers had stopped talking. Every adult in the room froze in place. Time seemed to have stopped.
The little girl reappeared when I was preparing to leave. She reached her hands out and looked me directly in the eye. I held Soapy out to her. She wrapped him in a big hug and pressed her face against him. Suspended (悬挂) from my hands as he was, I was concerned that he would begin to struggle. Instead he reached out his head again and laid it on the child's shoulder. His breathing slowed and he closed his eyes. As quickly as it happened, the little girl released her hug and stepped back. As she turned away, I thought I saw the beginnings of a faint smile.
The rabbit in his cloud of soft, warm fur had touched something deep in the child — something that had died from too much hard experience. Soapy's innocence and trust appeared to arouse those very same qualities in the little girl. It seems the language of the heart is simple after all.The little girl didn't speak any word because ___________.
| A．she liked staying silent and still |
| B．she had no friends to talk with |
| C．she had too much hard experience |
| D．the people in the shelter all kept silent |
What is the correct order of the following events?
a. The little girl gave a faint smile.
b. Soapy reached out and laid his chin on her knee.
c. The little girl carefully reached out and circled him with her arms.
d. Soapy's breathing slowed and he closed his eyes.
e. The little girl began to whisper to Soapy.
| A．c; b; e; d; a | B．b; c; d; e; a |
| C．b; c; e; d; a | D．c; b; d; e; a |
The author's purpose of writing the passage is to tell us ___________.
| A．a moving story about a lonely girl who hasn't talked for years |
| B．to pay more attention to those children who have been deserted by their parents |
| C．a lot of kind people around us are offering help to those in need |
| D．the heart-to-heart communication between animal and human is powerful |
The best title for this passage may be ___________.
| A．Soapy Smith and A Little Girl |
| B．A Great Surprise |
| C．The Language of The Heart |
| D．Human Beings and Animals |
| Dear Applicant, A We regret to inform you that your application to the stated establishment cannot be processed at this time due to the fact that it does not exist. After consultation with out mythical advisors we have also determined that even if it didn’t exist, the course “wandology” would be highly in demand and hence require at least two As and a B in any of the following subjects: Advanced Spellcrafting Mystimatics Defence Against The Dark Arts History of the Occult Shaft Design Your hand written grade sheet claiming top marks in “waving a stick about”, “ waving a pointy hat” and “watching Paul Daniels TV specials” sadly is not suitable for submission, however by applying through clearing you may be suitable of Liberal Arts courses. Alternatively you may wish to resubmit next year by tying your letter to an owl and hoping for the best. On behalf of UCAS I wish you every success. Yours sincerely, XXX |
| Dear Duke University Admissions, B Thank you for your rejection letter of March 26, 2015. After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me admission into the Fall 2015 freshman class at Duke. This year I have been fortunate enough to receive rejection letters from the best and the brightest universities in the country. With a pool of letters so diverse and accomplished I was unable to accept the rejection letters I would have been able to only several years ago. Therefore, I will be attending Duke University's 2015 Class. I look forward to seeing you then. Best, Siobhan O'Dell |
| Dear Siobhan, C I understand how disappointed you are that we were unable to offer you a space in our incoming class, I want to be honest with you and let you know that it’s very rare that we learn something that leads us to change our decision, in the last ten years we’ve about 500 requests for a review… and changed the decision four times Wish you all the best~ XXX |
Of the three letters, which is in response to which?
| A．A---B | B．C---B | C．C---A | D．B----C |
Chances for Duke University to change its admission decision in history were_______.
| A．none | B．big | C．slim | D．hard to tell |
What makes it impossible for the applicant to resubmit an application next year?
| A．Tying the letter to an owl and send it to UCAS |
| B．Printing out grade sheet |
| C．Applying for the Liberal Arts course as an option |
| D．Improving his scores |
What can we infer form the letter about college application?
| A．It is disappointing for sure. |
| B．Rejection letters are better written than offers. |
| C．It is no as fun as on imagines. |
| D．There could be extra work beyond normal procedure. |
Technological change is everywhere and affects every aspect of life, mostly for the better. However, social changes are brought about by new technology are often mistaken for a change in attitudes.
An example at hand is the involvement of parents in the lives of their children who are attending college. Surveys (调查) on this topic suggests that parents today continue to be “very” or “somewhat” overly-protective even after their children move into college dormitories. The same surveys also indicate that the rate of parental involvement is greater today than it was a generation ago. This is usually interpreted as a sign that today’s parents are trying to manage their children’s lives past the point where this behavior is appropriate.
However, greater parental involvement does not necessarily indicate that parents are failing to let go of their “adult” children.
In the context (背景) of this discussion, it seems valuable to first find out the cause of change in the case of parents’ involvement with their grown children. If parents of earlier generations had wanted to be in touch with their college-age children frequently, would this have been possible? Probably not. On the other hand, does the possibility of frequent communication today mean that the urge to do so wasn’t present a generation ago? Many studies show that older parents - today’s grandparents - would have called their children more often if the means and cost of doing so had not been a barrier.
Furthermore, studies show that finances are the most frequent subject of communication between parents and their college children. The fact that college students are financially dependent on their parents is nothing new; nor are requests for more money to be sent from home. This phenomenon is neither good nor bad; it is a fact of college life, today and in the past.
Thanks to the advanced technology, we live in an age of bettered communication. This has many implications well beyond the role that parents seem to play in the lives of their children who have left for college. But it is useful to bear in mind that all such changes come from the technology and not some imagined desire by parents to keep their children under their wings.The surveys inform us of ______.
| A．the development of technology |
| B．the changes of adult children’s behavior |
| C．the parents’ over-protection of their college children |
| D．the means and expenses of students’ communication |
The writer believes that ______.
| A．parents today are more protective than those in the past |
| B．the disadvantages of new technology outweigh its advantages |
| C．technology explains greater parental involvement with their children |
| D．parents’ changed attitudes lead to college children’s delayed independence |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Technology or Attitude |
| B．Dependence or Independence |
| C．Family Influence or Social Changes |
| D．College Management or Communication Advancement |
Which of the following shows the development of ideas in this passage?
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